108 
THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE DYAKS. 
“ carry on your back, and bring me to that bouse here be- 
“hind; if you find people, who sometimes have abichara 
“ there [a council] don’t mind that, but walk through the 
“ midst of the house up to the door which is opposite to you, 
V open that and close it again behind you, creep into the 
‘jangkot (curtain) which you will find in the room, and 
u place me there without noise; your debts, amounting to 20 
u kipings [40 fl.] shall be paid by me up to the last farthing 
*' and. you shall be free.” The old woman, much as she was 
at first frightened by the ugly apparition, yet could not resist 
the alluring promise. She took her buta down, took the 
head from the chicken basket, from which the bowels hung 
down, swinging like long slippery ropes, and placing the whole 
in the buta, she went without delay to the house pointed out 
to her. On her arrival there she found a number of people 
gathered, some of whom questioned her “kasen ikan?” 
[Whither are you going? or what is the matter with you?) 
She however gave a short evasive answer and went straight 
on through the house up to the chamber opposite. Arriv ed 
there and having closed the door behind her, she crawled, 
shuddering however, under a tent suspended in a corner and 
tound thete the lifeless hollow body stretched out on a mat; 
depositing there the buta she quickly withdrew, wiping the 
cold sweat Irom her forehead. Within half an hour the young 
wife appeared outside and joined in the conversation, although 
still looking pale and worn out. The next day the old woman 
was delivered from her bondage and rejoiced that she had 
carried on her back the Hantuen. 
Worse than this woman fared another Hantuen, a man, 
who, as every body knew, had carried on his nightly calling 
for many a year. . Since he never could be caught in his noc¬ 
turnal perambulations, the people watched for an opportunity 
in the day-time to wean him from his habits of tormenting 
others for ever. There was a feast and the guests had brave¬ 
ly applied to the bottle, when he, who by all was believed to 
be a Hantuen, entered and without suspicion mixed with the 
gay company. Scarcely however had he taken his seat, when 
one of the guests commenced to sneer at him, inciting the 
gathered crowd against him and calling him a Hantuen, which 
word roused and inflamed the whole of the people to such a 
degree that they resolved at once to deprive the unlucky 
Hantuen of life. Instantly all the mandans were drawn from 
their scabbards and plunged into the body of the accused 
victim. Several of the murderers, who thought they had 
performed a good work, were afterwards imprisoned for a 
